Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Cloth vs. Disposable- Round 2

So I posted about G diapers recently and started doing a lot of research on cloth diapers. Thanks to all the moms who gave me some great advice, including Tara. She is like supermom to her new little one. I'm leaning towards doing the regualr cloth diapers and using a diaper service. We actually have a diaper service in Rockwall that just opened. Of course much of this depends on the person that watches our baby girl during the day. I went to the website of the diaper service and inquired about the service.

The owner, April, was extremely helpful. She is full of info about cloth diapers. I'm a newbie to this so I needed all the help I could get. Here is the email that April wrote me:

Amber,
So glad you are interested! I'm attaching some pictures of the prefolds and the covers.






The way it works is that you put the prefold on your baby and attach the prefold with a snappi, then cover the diaper with a cover that attaches with velcro. A snappi is a stretchy T-shaped device with grippers to grip the diaper on both sides to keep the diaper on. For a newborn, you can skip the snappi and the diaper is held on by the cover. Then when you change the diaper, you change out the prefold and use the cover again until it needs to be washed. The inside of the cover can be wiped clean with a baby wipe, and just needs to be washed when the gussets get dirty. Usually, for me, I can use one cover all day. Or I use two, and let one dry while I'm using the other.

There are also other types of diapers such as all-in-ones and pocket diapers. With the all-in-ones, everything is sewn together. The plus side is it is one step, but it has to be washed after every use, is more expensive, and takes longer to dry. The pocket diapers have a layer of fleece that helps keep your baby dry, and you stuff the pocket with whatever absorbent layer you want. These also have to be washed after each use, but have faster drying times. I like to use these for church, and for my husband since he doesn't like that there are 2 steps with the prefolds.

Most people use a variety of these methods, and create a "stash" of cloth diapers. The diaper service is great for either the prefold/cover method, or the pocket method (you can stuff the pocket with prefolds). I know this is a lot of information to take in, but I am here to help you. I can show you all of the items in person and how to use them before your baby comes.
Support and education are a big part of my business.

If you are having a baby shower, I can send some cards to put in your invites that say you are going to use a diaper service, and people can purchase weeks or months of service for you for a gift. If you like, I can send you a catalog, some information on cloth diapering, and a sample of this card. Just send me your address. If you have more questions and would like to talk, call me anytime. Congratulations on your new baby!

April Kelm
Green Baby Diaper Service
Cloth Diaper Service, Supplies, and Support http://www.greenbabydiaperservice.com/


If you are in the Dallas area, check out their website, listed above. They have a lot of info and pictures.

If any of you moms have any more advice on the topic, bring it on. I love your help!



9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow..you are really researching this diaper thing! I'm glad you have gotten over the G Diaper thing...besides, I don't think you have stomached the 'swirl stick' method as we have discussed so thoroughly!

Amber said...

Lindsay,

I hate the swirl stick!!! Totaly yuck! But I swear everytime we watched that video together, the laughs we got were priceless!

Amber

DG said...

The diaper service company looks awesome. Their website is great and they seem prety reasonable as far as price goes. I don't think it will be as we think it will. You will have a few "bad" ones here and there but overall I really think the standard day to day diapers will be super easy and at least you know exactly what you are putting on her!

Unknown said...

I think I'm going to go with some sort of cloth, too...
I like the idea of cloth better than anything disposable, even if you can flush it. It just seems like we should have cloth next to our skin...ya know? I don't know...
I'm still deciding on what kind. And, I'll be doing the laundry myself, so we'll see how it goes! :)

~Laura~ said...

If you don't think you can stomach the clean up off the g's then the service is the way to go. I will tell you though. Prefolds are HARD to figure out and so are the dang snappis. I like the cute factor more than anything so I have custom fitted diapers (also need a cover...but we only use covers when going out or to bed) that match clothes. Like baby lulu's clothing line or something. Email me if you want pics. :)

Renee' said...

I am not a big fan of prefolds, but they are fine for around the house. I definitely prefer pocket diapers or the all in one style. I got a "test drive kit" from sunshinediapers.com and it included one of several different kinds of diapers. It was cool to get familiar with all of the styles and types and to figure out what worked for us before making a huge investment.

Kimmie said...

Thanks Amber...this is good info...I am going with a diaper service here in Ct called Bundles of Joy...they are sadly the last ones in area....perhaps even in the state...that is so SAD!

Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted

coffeemom said...

Hey there! TRied the G's, just didn't work well. Using cloth and loving it, wish I had done it for my other kiddos! The prefolds are ok, but not my fav. Got the all in ones, but while they are easy they take forever to dry adn also, oddly, leak faster for my toddler. LIke the pocket ones best: Fuzzi bunz best of all! and FuzziBunz w/ a Cricketts diaper (fitted hemp - super absorbant) for nighttime. They are all very easy to use, even wash, no big deal and so much nicer!

Sparkz said...

I am new to all of it too. I did a lot of reasearch but still feel a bit overwhelmed!